Neon Quartet

The Edge Arts Centre, Much Wenlock, Shropshire. 14/05/2011

Stan Sulzmann’s Neon project began in 2006 when the venerable British sax giant joined forces with pianist Gwilym Simcock and vibraphonist Jim Hart, two of the rising stars of the UK jazz scene. Thus constituted Neon released their first album “Here To There” on the Basho record label in 2007. Despite the apparent “chamber jazz” line up the music was sparkier and spikier than the instrumentation might have suggested with both Simcock and Hart bringing an unexpectedly high degree of rhythmic drive to the music. A number of acclaimed live performances followed and such was the chemistry between Sulzmann and his young colleagues that it soon became clear that Neon was destined to be more than just a one off collaboration.

Fast forward to 2011 and the group has mutated into the Neon Quartet. Sulzmann and Hart remain from the original line up with Simcock having been replaced by Kit Downes, his natural successor as UK jazz’s piano wunderkind, and with the group dynamic altered yet further by the addition of a drummer, the highly versatile and consistently excellent Tim Giles. Thus constituted Neon Quartet cut their début record “Catch This” for Edition Records in 2010 (see review elsewhere on this site).
However this gig, the last of a short British tour demonstrated that like all the best jazz outfits Neon Quartet have already moved on. Kit Downes has now introduced the sound of electric keyboards to the group resulting in a sound that is even more textured, nuanced and rhythmically adventurous than ever. With Sulzmann more than ever prepared to give his younger colleagues their head there’s also a strong sense that the Neon Quartet has become a real band with strong sense of a group identity.

The unusual bass-less line up ensures that Neon’s music is primarily about texture and colour but the addition of Giles also provides greater rhythmic possibilities. Tonight their intricate, layered music often reminded me of the rich sound of the New York band Claudia Quintet led by drummer and composer John Hollenbeck. Indeed speaking to Hart after the show he revealed that his composition “Cloak And Dagger” which appeared at the beginning of the second set was influenced by Claudia’s layering techniques.

It’s common at gigs across the genres for the soundman to get a name check from the band and a round of applause from the audience, even on occasions when he’s not done a particularly good job. Sadly neither Sulzmann or Hart (who shared the announcing duties) credited tonight’s man behind the mixing desk. Downes sang his praises when I chatted to him afterwards and rightly so. This was one of those rare gigs when the balance was perfect, every instrument was at just the right level and as a listener I could hear literally everything thus making it easy to savour the fine playing and intricate detail that always permeates Neon’s music. An instance; Giles’ drums were always audible, always interesting, but never intrusive, a tribute of course to his skills as a wonderfully sympathetic accompanist but also due in part to the sensitivity of the sound engineer. The only problem of the evening, a small glitch on the piano mic towards the end of the first set was quickly identified and remedied. Well done sir, whoever you were.

Turning at last to the music, the quartet began with Sulzmann’s tune “Nepanees” from the new album. Hart’s solo vibraphone intro gave way to an engrossing dialogue between piano and drums, leading in turn to Sulzmann’s solo on soprano sax, a Downes piano solo, again shadowed by Giles’ drums, and finally a duet between Hart’s vibes and the composer’s soprano. In many ways this established the template for the evening, constantly evolving compositions full of genuine four way dialogue but still with plenty of space left to enable the various subdivisions within the group to converse eloquently.

Hart’s “Passwords”, also from “Catch Me”, began with Giles’ brushed drums before Sulzmann sketched the busy but catchy theme on tenor underpinned by Downes’ insistent left hand figures. A dazzling four mallet solo from Hart was followed by Sulzmann on tenor with only Giles for company then finally by an engaging dialogue for vibes and piano. The first Neon album featured some magnificent duets between Hart and Simcock, on the evidence of tonight’s performance the vibraphonist has found an equally compatible partner in the excellent Downes.

The lovely, autumn inspired “Last Of The Leaves” contains one of Hart’s most beautiful melodies. This folk tinged tune first appeared on the 2009 album “Narrada”, released on the Loop label by Hart’s quartet Gemini. It’s clearly a piece that he’s very proud of, justifiably so, and was re-recorded by Neon Quartet for “Catch Me”. Tonight’s arrangement was new again with Downes deploying his electric keyboard for the first time. Mounted here on top of the piano the instrument is one of the small, new generation Hammond keyboards, capable of generating an authentic church organ sound as well as occasionally sounding like an electric piano or synthesiser. Downes’ organ solo was complemented by Giles’ exquisite cymbal work with Hart subsequently taking over on vibes followed by Sulzmann on tenor. An eerie closing section featured Hart bowing his vibes, a jazz practice pioneered by Matt Moran of Claudia Quintet but a common technique, as Hart told me, in the world of contemporary classical music (Messiaen etc.).

Introduced by Sulzmann as “a little ditty by Thelonious Monk” “Bye Ya” began with a passage for solo piano ,with Downes later joined by the sensitive drumming of Giles. Sulzmann’s tenor introduced a boppish air to the proceedings, a theme continued through Downes’s organ solo, the flurry of exchanges between vibes and piano and finally Giles’ drum feature. A teasing series of false endings emphasised the humour the quartet are capable of bringing to their frequently complex music.

The first half concluded with Downes’ composition “Torino” which began and ended with two more inspired piano/vibes duets and also included a stunning soprano solo from Sulzmann.  The saxophonist began with an airy folkiness before digging deep to produce a sound sometimes vaguely reminiscent of the Middle East, at others playing with an intensity to rival John Coltrane. Sulzmann is a supremely versatile player, capable of playing across a wide range of styles and emotions. Although something of a “gentle giant” he can really blast away when the occasion demands it. Laurie Grey of Shrewsbury Jazz network recalled him going toe to toe with Paul Dunmall at the recent Tony Levin tribute gig at the 606 Club in London.

The second set commenced with the aforementioned “Cloak And Dagger” in a dazzling segue that also took in the new Sulzmann composition “New Balls” (I hope that’s a tennis reference Stan). A quiet piano/hand drums opening duet suddenly erupted in a flurry of notes with the band subsequently kicking in. Sulzmann’s powerful tenor solo was followed by Hart’s spectacular vibes set piece, the four mallets little more than a blur. This was followed by a total contrast, a passage for bell like solo vibes with the emphasis now on space, the bridge between the two pieces I suspect. Downes’ solo saw him doubling up on piano (right hand) and organ with Sulzmann subsequently weighing in on tenor. This was a multi hued tour de force, a veritable tapestry of music.

Hart’s new piece “Maison Music” was gently quirky and full of eccentric sounds including bowed vibes, piano innards and synth like noises. There was something of Claudia’s eccentricity about this piece too with Sulzmann’s tenor the most orthodox component. 

The quartet closed with Sulzmann’s “Skookum (meaning “the tough one”)  which began with a deceptively delicate and stately solo piano intro before hitting it’s stride to incorporate the more full on playing suggested by the title. Driven on by Giles complex but insistent grooves Hart, Downes and Sulzmann on tenor delivered memorable final solos.

The group were rewarded with a great reception from the eighty or so fans present at The Edge. If applause for the many moments of individual brilliance over the course of the two sets had been muted this was merely because the audience were fully absorbed in the overall band performance and the ever evolving patterns and intricacies of the music. The true scale of the crowd’s appreciation only became clear at the end when the warmth of the applause ensured that an encore was inevitable.

The quartet returned to play a version of the jazz standard “Sweet And Lovely” which featured the most straightahead jazz playing of the evening with solos by Sulzmann on tenor, Hart on vibes and Downes on piano with each of these trading fours in turn with drummer Giles. Although written way back in 1931 the tune later became a favourite of Thelonious Monk, which may explain its appeal to Sulzmann.

I was hugely impressed by Neon Quartet’s performance. The sheer quality of their playing and the rhythmic and melodic sophistication of their complex, interlocking compositions was totally engrossing. This was brilliant music, fiercely intelligent but readily accessible and transcending by far the “chamber jazz” tag. There’s clearly a lot more mileage in this quartet and it’s to be hoped that they get to record and tour again soon, probably not an easy thing to arrange logistically given the frenetic schedules of the four individual members.

Quite simply this was as good a gig as I’ve ever seen at The Edge and given that the cream of the UK’s contemporary jazz talent plus a number of top European and even American names, including many from the prestigious ECM label, have appeared at the venue in recent years that’s really saying something. Thanks for a great night guys and well done Alison on another triumph for The Edge.

COMMENTS
Thanks for the great review Ian.
Our sound engineer for Neon was the wonderful Peter Dixon.
Alison Vermee.

blog comments powered by Disqus